Francois Arago

Francois Arago (26 February 1786-2 October 1853) was a French politician who served as a member of the Chamber of Deputies for Pyrenees-Orientales from 6 July 1831 to 24 January 1848 (succeeding Hippolyte Durand and preceding Emmanuel Arago) and Minister of War from 5 April to 11 May 1848 (succeeding Louis-Eugene Cavaignac and preceding Adolphe Charras). From 10 May to 24 June 1848, he briefly served as head of government of the French Second Republic, succeeding Jacques-Charles Dupont de l'Eure and preceding Louis-Eugène Cavaignac.

Biography
Francois Arago was born in Estagel, southern France on 26 February 1786, and he distinguished himself as a scientist, joining the French Academy of Scientists at the young age of 23. In 1809, he became the chair of analytical geometry at the Ecole Polytechnique, and he also became a noted physicist and astronomer. In 1830, Arago - who held liberal and republican views - was elected to the Chamber of Deputies, and, in 1848, he successfully pressed for the abolition of slavery in the French colonies. He became a member of the Executive Power Commission after the French Revolution of 1848, serving as provisional head of state from 11 May to 24 June 1848. He was a consistent republican to the end, choosing to resign as an astronomer in 1852 rather than swear allegiance to Emperor Napoleon III. He died in Paris in 1853.